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Christa Steele

Christa Steele Christa Steele Christa Steele

Experienced CEO, Public and 

Private Company Board Director


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Welcome!

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Digital innovation and strong corporate governance have collided. These initiatives combined with a global recession, global pandemic, and enhanced emphasis on ESG (environmental, social and governance) awareness, have forced board directors to be better partners with management and up their game in corporate oversight.


Boardrooms are tasked with re-thinking the board member profile and committee structure in light of innovation and emerging transitional risks. 


With  seven years of for-profit public and private company board experience;  Two successful business exits commanding premiums to market as a CEO  and as Partner and Board Director; Four years of direct involvement in Big Data, Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain  technology integration initiatives; Twenty years of leadership  experience as CEO and other senior level positions; leading business transformation within a risk centric, highly regulated environment and with direct P&L oversight; I have never seen change  occur as fast as change is occurring today. 


This time in my life has forever changed how I think and how I problem solve for a pain point.


I understand the need for innovation, but I also appreciate the constant balancing act faced by management with regard to navigating a tough economic environment, changing consumer and business behavior, legacy systems and encumbered processes. Being  up to date and educated on these initiatives allow for thought  provoking  and robust discussions in the boardroom and with management.

Scroll down to find my upcoming speaking engagements and enjoy my thoughts on these topics!

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Data aggregation, data access and data privacy...hot topics

"Data is being aggregated at a speed it has never been aggregated before," Steele says. "We need to start thinking, 'How do we need to use data?"

How COVID-19 Impacts Cyber Risk & Digital Transformation


Between the COVID-19 pandemic and the battle against systemic racism,  boards have had plenty of challenges to focus on in the last few  months. In turn, digital transformation and cyber risk are getting less  air time in the boardroom—yet, these two topics have never been more  important.


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NACD Private Company Directorship

The Play That Changes the Game’s Momentum

October 11, 2020

By Christa Steele

Anyone that's a sports enthusiast or a current or former athlete can  appreciate the play that changes the momentum of the game. It's the play  that sparks the 10-0 run and the roar of the crowd. It's the play that  rallies the team and forces the timeout by the opposition to slow down  the pace of the game. 

As a former basketball player and swimmer who still considers myself  an athlete, I often use sports analogies in business. At 46 years old, I  am still highly competitive and make exercise part of my daily  lifestyle. I'm an avid runner, swimmer, cyclist, and yogi who believes  exercise is as much about mental health as it is about physical health.

I liken momentum to the human metabolism. A high metabolism gets  increasingly difficult to maintain with age; it's equally as hard to  maintain a constant state of momentum. Both metabolism and momentum  require continuous effort and have unforeseen challenges. As an example,  the metabolism must be constantly shocked to maintain as we get older.  This means changing up the workout and maintaining a good diet. Often  times, the biggest challenge to controlling the metabolism is our fork  and what we put in our bodies. 

Momentum in business can be equally challenged by unforeseen events  and emerging trends, all while being stuck in the mindset of "this is  how it's always been done," lacking innovation and a current strategy,  and having a stagnant board or management team. 

One notable emerging trend is the emphasis on how companies are  responding to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) matters. ESG  has broadened the definition of the "stakeholder" in business. Private  company key stakeholders, once viewed in large part as  the ownership, now include its employees, the environment, sources of  capital, customers, and the supply chain. A great example of a large  private company embracing ESG and its stakeholders is Recology,  headquartered in San Francisco. The 100-percent employee-owned company  employs 4,000 employees and operates in three Western states. Recology  issued its first sustainability report in 2019 with an emphasis on  stewardship to produce zero waste, manage human capital, and strengthen  corporate governance. The board has incorporated ESG into its governance  committee structure and is engaged with management in evolving company  reporting standards.  

Quick tips to help you get started or evolve your ESG strategy:

  • Get educated about ESG; 
  • Read the recently issued white paper by The World Economic Forum  called "Measuring Stakeholder Capitalism," and discuss its  recommendations with your board and management team; 
  • Begin to formulate an ESG roadmap that details environmental, human capital, leadership, and governance impacts; 
  • Determine what information you are already collect and track (quick wins);
  • Determine key stakeholders (internal and external) and evaluate the level of engagement with each;
  • Evaluate customers and suppliers who may require ESG reporting from  your company to continue to do business with you and what they will  likely require in the way of report validation;
  • Determine your audience and what information should be publicly presented versus privately retained; 
  • Research publicly available ESG-related information about your  competition (good places to start are with the Sustainability Accounting  Standards Board, the Global Reporting Initiative, and individual  company disclosures and reporting activity); 
  • Identify best-in-class private companies and model their ESG practices. 

Lastly, recognize ESG as a game-changer for corporate America—public  and private companies alike. Ask yourself: What will cause the play that  changes the course of your game? Is your company a sure win and up by  20 points, or is your company the one that needs to call a timeout to  re-evaluate the play and turn the momentum in your favor?

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NACD Magazine April 2020 Edition

"For a long time, it's always been, 'Be a fast follower' for the smaller institutions....This is not a time to be a fast follower. You'll get left behind." - Christa Steele

Click Here to read article

Join me in conversation at an event in 2020!

Building the internet

Building the internet

Building the internet

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The future of the internet fueled by       blockchain technology





CES 2020


Las Vegas Convention Center

January 7, 2020

Las Vegas, NV


Demystifying AI

Building the internet

Building the internet

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Bridge the gap between the promise of Artificial Intelligence and utilization at your company.




NACD & Armanino LLP


Nasdaq Center

January 16, 2020

San Francisco, CA


Board of the Future

Building the internet

Board Oversight Under the Microscope

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Challenges faced by corporate directors in the new digital age and the changing trends of boardroom dynamics.



Corporate Directors Forum


Omni Hotel

January 17, 2020

San Diego, CA


Board Oversight Under the Microscope

Wall Street Journal Pro's AI Executive Forum 2020

Board Oversight Under the Microscope

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Board oversight shifts and what directors should be thinking about as board responsibilities expand


Financial Times


Agenda Education

January 24, 2020

Webcast

The Audit Committee & Risk Oversight

Wall Street Journal Pro's AI Executive Forum 2020

Wall Street Journal Pro's AI Executive Forum 2020

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Discussing the misalignments of perceived risks between the C-Suite, CAE, CEO and the Boardroom


NACD Texas TriCities


Jr. League of Houston

February  14, 2020

Houston, TX

Wall Street Journal Pro's AI Executive Forum 2020

Wall Street Journal Pro's AI Executive Forum 2020

Wall Street Journal Pro's AI Executive Forum 2020

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Developing the Right Artificial Intelligence Governance



Wall Street Journal


Conrad Hotel

March 31, 2020

New York, NY

Virtual

Virtual

Virtual

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The Role of Data in Reopening and Reinventing your Business


NACD Northern California

June 10, 2020

San Francisco, CA



Virtual

Virtual

Virtual

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The Future of Boardrooms



INSEAD & Odgers Berndtson

June 22, 2020

San Francisco, CA

Virtual

Virtual

Virtual

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Guest Lecturer



UC Berkeley

July 2020

Berkeley, CA

Virtual

Virtual

Virtual

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Leveraging the use of data during COVID



Diligent

July 23, 2020

New York, NY

Virtual

Virtual

Virtual

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The Future of Real Estate - Post COVID



NACD Northern California

August 18, 2020

San Francisco, CA

Virtual

Virtual

Virtual

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ESG from the lens of Institutional Investors and Shareholder Activism



NACD Northern California

October 1, 2020

San Francisco, CA

Wall Street Journal Interview

 

Corporate Boards Face Challenges in Overseeing AI 


"AI innovation requires the board to understand what to do to surveil risk inside the company." - Christa Steele

Private Company Director Magazine 2019 North America "Directors to Watch"

 

"There is no industry immune to disruption. Boardrooms and the C-suite  must assimilate to change and disrupt themselves before becoming  disrupted. This requires a pivot in mindset, away from just looking back  over the last 90 days, to looking ahead and around the corner. Only  then will you be able to establish the right KPIs and KRIs for your  boardroom." - Christa Steele

Digital Transformation on the Board Agenda

ABA Directors-Briefing-Nov-Dec-2018p (pdf)Download

American Corporate Governance receives a C+! Thinking through digital disruption, audit and risk.

LISTEN TO PODCAST HERE

Blockchain and its place in the new digital world

NACD Northern California Chapter and PwC recently partnered to present a blockchain webcast - " What boards need to know about blockchain".


Presenters:  Christa Steele and Manoj Kashyap




watch our blockchain webcast here!

Media Published Interviews

" Not a Black Swan, A ‘Gray Rhino’ — Directors on the Covid-19 Crisis "

READ ARTICLE

AirBnB, Uber Follow in the Footsteps of Tech Giants in Pay

READ ARTICLE

Risks in Review - A wide disconnect among organizational stakeholders...

READ ARTICLE

Tone at the Top: Boards Look to Harness Blockchain Disruption.

READ ARTICLE

Why management and boards need to consider blockchain in overall digital strategy.

Read Article

Risk & Opportunity a Board Primer on Blockchain

Read Article

Four-part blockchain information series

READ ARTICLE

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Christasteele.com

San Francisco, California 94104, United States

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